OVERFLOW

Kei Hong Wong

Overflow is written for the Oregon Composer Forum 2012 spring concert directed by Robert Kyr. This piece, especially the ending evokes an image of a glass being filled with water and then overflows. The water is filled until it spills out from the glass and then the process repeats. Musically, the instruments are grouped into two – two trumpets and two trombones sharing one horn. A chromatic ascending motive represents the filling of the water. The two groups begin to imitate each other and have cannon using this motive. They are out of sync by a quarter or an eighth note in the “filling” process. When the water reaches the brim of the glass, the image of “overflow” is captured by a dotted rhythmic motive with fortissimo brass shout. Imitating the action of overflowing, the brass choir performs a stepwise descend and when it reaches to its low register, the process starts again. Each time the “filling” process results in a higher pitch destination so the contour of this piece as a whole is constantly ascending to a higher place.

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